ST. GEORGE — A juvenile female driver and four male passengers ages 15 to 18 were injured in a traffic accident late Monday night on Valley View Drive.

St. George Police Department officials said the Ford Explorer in which the five teenagers were riding rolled over multiple times in the area of 670 N. Valley View Drive.

The driver was identified as a 15-year-old female. The vehicle slid sideways, started to roll and hit a chain link fence. One juvenile male occupant of the vehicle was ejected, and the driver was trapped in the vehicle, requiring her to be extricated, the other three occupants of the vehicle were able to get out of the vehicle. All occupants sustained injuries. The most severe injuries were to the female driver who was flown to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas with severe head trauma. All other occupants of the vehicle were transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center and treated for various injuries, broken bones, cuts and bruises, none of which are expected to be life threatening.

A police accident reconstruction team and investigation unit responded to the scene. Police said in a statement that it is believed that alcohol and speed were contributing factors in the accident. Two juveniles were cited for minor consuming. Charges may be pending associated with the crash.

“When I ran across the street, the closer I got to the wreck I was horrified, because I thought I was going to find dead bodies.”

Billy Wilkin, St. George resident

Witnesses at the scene Monday night said the vehicle, lost control and rolled as many as seven times.

St. George resident Billy Wilkin, 45, was walking home and witnessed the accident and was first to arrive at the vehicle after the crash.

"I heard the crash behind me, and I literally grabbed the fence on the other side and I jumped over the fence and then I spun around, because I expected to see it coming down my side," he said. "When I spun around, it was about in the middle of 670 (N. Valley View Dr.) and then I just watched the whole thing.

"The vehicle went up in the air, did a full spin, and then came down and crashed where (the car ended up). There was a person ejected on the ground there. Somebody went through the window, and the driver was half in the vehicle, half out, and that's who I went to help."

Wilkin said the teenage female driver was not conscious and in bad shape, but was breathing.

"When I ran across the street, the closer I got to the wreck I was horrified, because I thought I was going to find dead bodies," he said. "It was a very violent wreck, and I've seen some pretty bad wrecks. This was a very violent wreck."

Trish Mecham, who lives on the corner of Valley View Road and 670 North was sleeping in her home when the wreck happened. The Explorer took out the fence on the east side of her yard and spread rocks and debris throughout.

"It woke me up. It was just a terrible, terrible noise," Mecham said. "I ran to the window and couldn't see anything so I came outside and … it was ugly."

She said the teenage boys seemed to be doing OK, but it was hard to tell for sure as they were clearly in shock.

The St. George Police Department, along with the St. George Fire Department responded quickly to the scene and diverted traffic as they investigated the area. As of midnight Tuesday, SGPD Sgt. Dave Williams said the accident was still under investigation.